SPONSORED IRTS SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS

IRTS is proud to showcase some of its named summer fellowships,
and the individuals or organizations responsible for generously sponsoring them.

Each year, roughly 30 students will be awarded one of the IRTS Foundation’s prestigious, all expense-paid Summer Fellowships in New York City thanks to sponsorships provided by generous individuals and organizations.

Acknowledged as one of the nation’s best internship opportunities in the media and entertainment industry, the IRTS Summer Fellowship Program takes place over a nine-week period from June to August each year. In addition to the number of Fellowships reserved for the traditional IRTS nationwide competition, individuals were invited to sponsor IRTS Fellowships restricted to specific schools. According to IRTS President and CEO Joyce Tudryn, “It’s a wonderful opportunity for a student from an outstanding college to explore career options within Media, whether it be on the business side – such as marketing, promotions, or advertising sales – or the creative side, such as production.”

While specific experience is not necessary, applicants must demonstrate a sincere interest in the media field with extracurricular activities or volunteer experience that suggests they are strong candidates for this highly competitive program. IRTS provides the nation’s most promising professionals of tomorrow with a comprehensive introduction to the media industry, as well as relevant internship experience at a media company, which will be assigned after the student is selected to ensure a good match.

The IRTS City College of New York Fellow Sponsored by Betsy Frank

IRTS is thrilled to name this Fellowship in honor of Betsy Frank, a titan of the media research field and longtime member of the IRTS Board of Directors. Betsy, embodies all of the characteristics we hope to imbue our Summer Fellows with: creativity, kindness, tenacity, and more. A firm believer in giving back to where you came from and following your curiosity, Betsy sponsors this Fellowship in the hopes of providing a City College of New York student with the opportunity to chase their ideas and explore all the possibilities the media industry has to offer.

The IRTS David Levy Fellow Sponsored by Bruce Lefkowitz

IRTS is thrilled to announce Bruce Lefkowitz will be sponsoring an IRTS Summer Fellow in honor of mentors. To date, Bruce has named his sponsored Fellowship in honor Michael Brochstein, Joe Cohen, Lou LaTorre, and David Levy, all of whom have been mentors to Bruce throughout his career. In addition to being an ad sales powerhouse as the current EVP of Ad Sales at Fox Networks Group, longtime member of the IRTS Board of Directors, and basketball legend at the University of Pennsylvania, Bruce is also a champion of mentorship within the industry.

The IRTS Summer Fellow Sponsored by Rajah Maples

IRTS is thrilled to name this Fellowship in honor of Rajah Maples, a 1997 graduate of the IRTS Summer Fellowship Program and current member of the IRTS Board of Directors. Rajah, a former Fellow herself, embodies characteristics we hope to imbue our Summer Fellows with; dedication, generosity and mentorship, to name but a few. A firm believer in giving back to where you came from, Rajah sponsors this Fellowship in the hopes of providing a student with the same life changing opportunity she experienced during her IRTS Summer Fellowship.

The IRTS Brooklyn College Fellow Sponsored by Scott Herman

IRTS is delighted to name this Fellowship in honor of Scott Herman, whose experience in the radio broadcast industry is rivaled only by his longtime involvement with IRTS. A benevolent behemoth, Scott sets an example for others; he leads with humanity, kindness, and most importantly, Scott leads through example. A strong advocate of giving back to your community, Scott sponsors this Fellowship in the hopes of providing opportunity to young professionals as well as encouraging senior industry members to mentor the next generation.

The IRTS Leibner Cooper Fellow Sponsored by The Leibner Cooper Family Foundation

Carole Cooper and Richard Leibner have nurtured and advanced the careers of many of the leading journalists of our time, and have made a generous gift of $100,000 from the Leibner Cooper Family Foundation to the IRTS Foundation. Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper’s devotion to media education, the field of journalism, and diversity will now include sponsoring a Fellow for the IRTS Summer Fellowship Program. The IRTS Leibner Cooper Summer Fellow​ is selected through a national college competition open to multicultural students studying journalism.

IRTS is honored to name this Fellowship in memory of Helen Karas, who, in a media career that spanned nearly three decades, epitomized our mission of building future leaders through mentorship and professional example. Without having to be encouraged or incentivized, Helen effortlessly assumed the role of mentor to individuals who hadn’t yet found their path in the industry, but had crossed hers. Her husband, Dan Karas, along with her former associate at Fox Family Networks, Rick Sirvaitis, sponsor this Fellowship in her memory.

IRTS is very honored to name this Fellowship in memory of Mark Mackenzie, a former investment banker and analyst, who embraced our mission of building future leaders throughout his career. He was highly regarded by peers and clients alike, and was tireless in his willingness to provide advice and support, especially to professionals at earlier stages of their careers. We invite you to help us carry on his legacy of making future dreams come true by supporting IRTS Summer Fellowships for students from his beloved alma mater–University of Texas.

The IRTS University of Tennessee Fellow Sponsored by Larry Patrick

IRTS is thrilled to name this Fellowship in honor of Larry Patrick; a mentor, advocate, and supporter of media professionals everywhere. Larry, a man with a distinguished career in media as well as academia & nonprofit, has spent the last five decades setting an example for all by regularly donating his time and other resources to institutions that invest in the next generation of media professionals. A UT Vol through-and-through, Larry chose to restrict his sponsored Fellowship opportunity to alumni from his alma mater: the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

About us

The IRTS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to Building Future Media Leaders. IRTS brings together the wisdom and power of today’s leaders to train and educate the next generation of media and communication professionals through its many educational programs and diversity initiatives. IRTS programs ensure that our business reaches its highest potential in this exciting digital age.